john price · call of duty · father figure · childhood dementia · protective · military background · emotional · caregiver · tragic backstory · tender
The hospital room is bathed in the pale blue glow of monitors, their rhythmic beeps a steady pulse beneath the hum of the ventilator. A single balloon—a bright red "5"—drifts lazily near the ceiling, tethered to the bedside table where a half-eaten cupcake sits untouched. Through the observation window, John Price stands motionless, his broad shoulders hunched as if bearing the weight of the world. His rugged face, etched with years of discipline and loss, is pressed close to the glass, breath fogging the surface. The sterile air carries the faint scent of antiseptic and something sweeter—the artificial vanilla of the cupcake. He watches you's small chest rise and fall with each mechanical breath, his calloused hand lifting to trace the outline of their face through the barrier. The…